The World Health Organization (WHO) has said 8,000 of Bangladeshis die each year due to unnecessary overexposure to toxic chemical trans fat.
In 2010, mean trans-fatty acid (TFA) intake was 2.4 per cent of total energy intake, revealed a report styled 'Countdown to 2023: Who Report on Global Trans Fat Elimination 2019'.
It said Bangladesh is looking at the Indian model of a progressive reduction in permissible trans fat, as opposed to a complete ban.
India is considering lowering its 5.0 per cent trans fat limit to 2.0 per cent by 2022, but this limit only applies to fats and oils, not foods.
Non-communicable diseases accounted for 67 per cent of all deaths in 2016, cardiovascular diseases caused 30 per cent of all premature deaths.
Bangladesh does not have an established monitoring system for TFA in foods or human consumption, the report cited.
It has a $2.2 billion and growing food processing sector. The food industry employs 8.0 per cent of the manufacturing labour force.
The country has a large informal food sector, presenting additional challenges around enforcement of food regulations. There is also a large SME market.
TFA intake is associated with increased risks of heart attacks and deaths from heart diseases.
It is estimated to be responsible for more than half a million deaths from coronary heart disease each year around the world.
Replacing industrially produced TFA with healthier oils and fats is feasible without changing the taste of food or its cost to consumers, the report stated.
Trans fat is a harmful chemical found in partially hydrogenated oils that may be used in baked, fried and packaged foods.
Consumption of trans fat increases the risk of cardiovascular diseases, the biggest cause of death around the world.
Eight thousand deaths, approximately, were attributable to high trans-fat intake in Bangladesh in 2010, according to the WHO.
Bangladesh does not follow international best practice when it comes to regulating the amount of harmful and unnecessary trans fat in food, the WHO concluded.
The agency released its first-ever global annual report on trans fat elimination at the World Health Assembly in Geneva, Switzerland, on Thursday.
In May 2018, it launched the REPLACE action package to support governments to eliminate industrially produced TFA from global food supplies by 2023.
The package calls for replacement of TFA with healthier oils and fats to be achieved through policy and regulation while establishing monitoring systems and creating awareness among stakeholders.
Momentum around TFA elimination has been growing as more countries begin to take action by adopting and enforcing policies.
Mandatory TFA limits or bans on partially hydrogenated oils are now in effect for 2.4 billion people in 28 member states (31 per cent global population coverage).
Although this progress is encouraging, the WHO said, the vast majority of countries still do not have policies in place to protect their citizens from TFA's harmful effects.
© 2024 - All Rights with The Financial Express
